1. Field
The present specification relates generally to string cleaning systems. More specifically, some embodiments described herein may relate to the cleaning of musical instrument strings.
2. Description of Related Art
Many types of musical instruments use strings to generate sound. Musical instrument strings may consist of nylon, steel, intestinal material (i.e., “gut”), or any other suitable materials. A string may collect debris on its surface and in its microscopic pores, which reduces the quality of sound generated thereby and may increase the possibility of breakage. This debris may consist, for example, of dust from the surrounding air or oil, dirt and sweat from a musician's fingers. Steel strings may also collect rust simply due to their exposure to air. “Wound” strings, which consist of one or more strings wrapped around a core of one or more other strings, are particularly susceptible to collecting debris. Wound strings are also more difficult to clean than unwound strings.
Several string cleaning techniques are known. One such technique, exemplified by U.S. Pat. No. 4,112,808, involves removing a wound string from an instrument, wrapping the string around one or more rollers, and moving the string back and forth along the rollers to dislodge dirt within the string. Other techniques do not require removal of the string from the instrument. Such techniques include devices for surrounding one or more strings with a cloth (e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,528,889) or with cleaning pads (e.g., German Publication DE 3003402A1) and moving the cloth or pads relative to the strings.
All conventional string cleaning techniques pose one or more problems. Some are extremely inefficient and time-consuming, such as that described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,112,808. The devices mentioned above may provide insufficient pressure on the strings, present difficulties in placing the cloth or pad between the strings and the instrument, fail to securely maintain the cloth or pad around the strings, and/or include elements that skew or twist during use. What is needed is a system to address one or more of the foregoing shortcomings.